Ashton-Kirk, Criminologist

by John Thomas McIntyre

  CHAPTER XVIII

  NORA GOES TO STANWICK

  Through the upheaving in his mind, Bat Scanlon managed to squeeze areply to Nora's question which held some traces of plausibility.

  "A fellow always feels upset by things like this," said he. "Most of thetime there is no reason for it, but that seems to make no difference. Hefeels that way just the same."

  He left the window and returned to his chair. There had been many thingsin his mind when he resolved to pay this visit, things which were directand the answers to which must be illuminating. But they were all gonenow. Her attitude, her words, had made them impossible. They talked ofmany things during the next half hour--that is, Nora talked. WhatScanlon said he could never afterward remember. But there was one thingwhich always brought the fact of the conversation sharply to hismind--and that was his conjectures as to the man in the street below.Why was he there? and to whom was he signaling?

  These thoughts finally became so insistent that Bat arose.

  "I must be going," he said, rather lamely. "There are a few things Imust do to-night."

  "Oh, and I thought you'd come for a nice long visit," she said. Her tonewas reproachful; but at the same time Scanlon could not help but noticethat the glance which she gave the briskly ticking clock was one ofrelief.

  He stood looking down at her; finally her eyes lifted to his and theexpression she met was very grave and very honest.

  "Nora," said he, "I've always been for you. You know that, don't you?And I always will be for you. So if there is ever trouble--any atall--you know where to come."

  She arose. Nora was a tall woman, but she had to lift her face so thather eyes might meet his. She laid both hands upon his breast and whenshe spoke there was just the least tremble in her voice.

  "I know," she said. "Dear old Bat, I know. Haven't I always called onyou when I needed help, and you were near enough to hear? You are themost loyal friend a woman could have; I have been grateful for you, Bat,and I have prayed for you, many times."

  "No!" said Scanlon. "No; have you though, Nora? Well, what do you knowabout that?"

  When he went down the stairs he had a lump in his throat, and there wasa tendency to blink drops from his lashes--Bat would have deniedindignantly that they were tears--which amazed him. In the lower hall hemet the maid.

  "Isn't there a way out beside the front door?" he asked.

  "Oh, yes; there is a door which opens onto a yard beside the oldcarriage house," said the girl.

  "I'll go out that way," said Bat.

  Surprised, but making no comment, the maid led the way. Scanlon passedthrough a door into the yard and then through a gate which opened upon asmall, quiet street.

  "Thank you!" said he. And when the gate had been closed and the maidvanished, he started down the street; in a few moments he had roundedthe corner; then a dozen yards brought him to the thoroughfare on whichNora's house stood. Cautiously, he peered from a sheltering doorway.Yes, there was the figure of the Swiss in the same position as before;and as Scanlon looked he saw a tall, stoop-shouldered man cross thestreet and stop at Bohlmier's side.

  "Big Slim," said Bat. "That's who the sign was being passed to a whileago."

  He watched the two men while they engaged in earnest conversation; thenthey started off, and he followed them. However, they did not go far; atthe intersection of a small street they paused and then disappeared.Something in their manner of doing this told Bat their intention.

  "They are going to lie low just around the corner," he said. "Waitingfor something, I think."

  He was but a dozen yards from Nora's house at this moment; and at anornamental iron gate, of the period just after the Civil War, stood anaged colored man, very black, very highly collared and with much of thedignity of a servant of the old time. Bat paused and said with thecarelessness of a casual stroller:

  "Nice old street you have here, uncle."

  There was the proper amount of confidence in the big athlete's manner,and his voice had that subtle shade of authority which carried theremark in its proper groove. For these ancient servitors are to beapproached in only one way if results are to be had.

  "Yas, suh," replied the black man at the gate, "yas, suh! It is a niceol' street, suh. Not whut it was yeahs ago when I fust come here, nosuh. But nice and quiet. And 'spectable."

  "Of course," said Bat "Sure enough, entirely respectable!" He watchedand saw that the two did not reappear at the street corner; a feeling ofdoubt was in his mind; he had no means of knowing if his conjectures asto their movements were true. However, if they had gone, very well! Ifthey had not--well, he would be there and would know. "Yes," he went on,"a fine old block. Not many like it left."

  "No, suh. Dey's mos' all gone. Lots o' po' folks f'om fur-off placescrowdin' in, suh. An' dey jes' natch'ly push into de ol' streets. Ol'houses am like ol' families, suh. Dey's mighty scarce. Indeed dey is!"

  Apparently Bat had chanced upon a favorite topic; like many of the oldfamilies, of whom he spoke so regretfully, the ancient man-servantcherished the days of the past. This Bat felt to be rather fortunate; itwould provide a subject for conversation while he stood waiting in theshadow of the trees which ran along in front of the houses.

  "A new section will grow up," he suggested. "And new families willproceed to grow old in them, and make them, also, respectable."

  But the old darkey refused to consider this.

  "No, suh, 'tain't possible. Dey'll never be like de ol' folks--not jes'like 'em. Yo' can't make quality, boss, no, suh."

  Bat was still engaged in talk with the ancient darkey a quarter of anhour later when he saw the door of Nora Cavanaugh's house open, and awoman emerge. Though she was enveloped in a long coat and furs, therewas no mistaking the air, the free, splendid carriage. It was Nora.

  With a glance up and down the street, she descended the steps and madeher way north. As she passed the corner, Scanlon's eyes were fixed uponthe one opposite her; with a tingling of the blood he saw the two menbob out with furtive eagerness; and, in a few moments, they werefollowing her. He at once said good-night to the old servant and fell intheir wake.

  Nora walked rapidly; within ten minutes, from the fixedness of herdirection, Bat guessed her destination.

  "The railroad station," he said. "The railroad station, as sure as youlive."

  This guess proved a good one; the huge pile of the station soon loomedinto view, the lights about its top dimming in the mists of the evening,the great round clock looking solemnly out across the city. Bat saw thetwo men follow into the building; he at once stationed himself at adoor, through the glass of which he had a view of the ticket window.Nora went, without hesitation, to a certain window far down the room; ina few moments she turned away, a ticket in her hand and her eyes goingto the clock. And as she disappeared up the stairs which led to thetrain shed, Bohlmier and Big Slim slipped up to the window, purchasedtickets and followed her. When they were out of sight, Bat entered andwalked down the huge room. Over the window to which the others had gonehe saw a sign which told him the tickets for sale there were for thebranch road upon which lay the suburb of Stanwick. Bat also bought aticket.

  In the train shed a light over a gate called his attention to the threecars which usually made up the local for the western suburbs. Nora wasnot in sight; the Swiss and Big Slim were climbing into a dingycombination baggage and smoking car which was directly behind theengine.

  "I don't want to get into the car Nora's in," mused Bat. "And as she'san experienced traveler, I'd say that was the middle one."

  He entered the last car by the rear door; a glance showed him that Norawas not there; and he settled himself in a corner seat opening anewspaper and holding it before him so as to avoid even the smallchances of detection. In a few minutes the train started and in half anhour it brought up at Stanwick. From his window he saw Nora on theplatform. His first impulse was to get out on the other side of thetrain, but instantly he realized that he must not do this.

  "It's the very
thing those other two gentlemen will do; and they'd spotme sure," he thought.

  So he waited until the last possible moment; he dropped from the car asthe train was pulling out, and a heaped up baggage truck hid him fromview. He saw Bohlmier and Big Slim pass cautiously along the length ofthe platform, and out of sight; and then pursuers and pursued made awayin the direction of Duncan Street.

  "It's getting to be familiar ground," said the big athlete; "I think Icould find my way there with my eyes shut."

  The streets of Stanwick were lighted here and there by incandescentlights which shone yellowly through the heavy darkness. Bat could not besure as to what was going on ahead of him, as the two men were carefulto keep out of the rays of the lamps as they passed them. So heproceeded slowly with only occasional glimpses of the moving figures.Finally, as he neared the Burton home, he lost them entirely.

  "They've taken cover," said he, between his teeth. "And now I'll have totrust to chance."

  Keeping in the darkness as much as possible, he advanced; and in alittle while he saw a muffled figure standing before a gate as thoughhesitating. It was Nora, and the house before which she had halted wasNo. 620. However, the hesitancy did not last long; for as he watched,she pushed open the gate and made her way toward the house.

  Scanlon waited, his eyes going about in expectation of a movement ofsome sort from the shadows around him. But none came, and he gave hisattention once more to Nora. He saw her move along the path as thoughto the door, over which burned a light; however, when within a halfdozen yards of it, she veered to one side, and, to Bat's surprise, stolewith quiet tread around the house.